


A Singular Cat

by avianscribe



Series: Collection of Prompts [8]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Cats, Fluff, Gen, cat shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:22:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24754681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avianscribe/pseuds/avianscribe
Summary: Noctis texts that he's brought home a stray cat. At least, that's what Ignis thinks.
Relationships: Noctis Lucis Caelum & Ignis Scientia
Series: Collection of Prompts [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1432558
Comments: 23
Kudos: 66





	A Singular Cat

**Author's Note:**

> This came from this writing prompt… <https://promptsforthestrugglingauthor.tumblr.com/post/187330963416/writing-prompt-954>
> 
> I needed to write something silly and light.

As soon as Ignis opened Noct’s apartment door, he knew something was amiss. 

Ignis stood in the vestibule a moment, awash in a chorus of tiny  _ mews _ coming from deeper inside the apartment. He set one grocery bag down to pull out his phone and peered at the text Noct had sent a mere half-hour ago. 

**Prince Noctis** [4:26pm] >> hey  
**Prince Noctis** [4:26pm] >> picked up stray cat  
**Prince Noctis** [4:27pm] >> cld you get some cat things for the apt

By ‘stray cat’, Ignis had assumed  _ one _ cat. One. 

One, Noctis could probably get away with -- especially with Ignis’s help. 

If all that sound was made by one cat, he’d volunteer to wash Gladio’s gym clothes for a month.

Ignis pocketed his phone again and picked up the discarded bag, slipped his shoes off just inside the door, and made his way deeper inside, following the sound of mewing. He got to the kitchen and stopped short.

Noctis sat on the floor by his sofa, next to a cardboard box. The box was crawling with movement, but so was Noctis… tiny orange and grey and calico. Ignis couldn’t see how many there actually were; but Noctis had one climbing up his shirt, another in his hands, and at least two still in the box.

“Noctis,” he said.

The prince looked up sheepishly. 

“What  _ is  _ this?” Ignis asked.

“They’re cats,” Noctis said, like that wasn’t the most obvious thing in all Eos.

“I can see that,” Ignis said, trying to ignore the sudden pain growing behind his eyes. “The text said you brought in ONE stray cat. A  _ singular _ cat.”

“Did it?” Noctis said innocently. “Must’ve been a typo. I found this whole box and I couldn’t just leave them there! Besides, what’s wrong with five little kittens anyway?”

Ignis sighed and nudged his glasses up his nose. “Noctis, you  _ cannot _ keep the cats.”

Noct’s shoulders drew up defensively. “Why  _ not?”  _

“Taking care of pets is a big responsibility.” 

“I know that,” Noctis muttered into the fur of the cat in his hands. “Dad  _ wants  _ me to learn responsibility, and maybe this is a good way to learn it.”

“You don’t have time, with all your  _ princely _ responsibilities.”

“I can make time,” Noctis countered. “I make time for Prompto. Right?”

“But you don’t provide for  _ Prompto’s _ every need.” 

“No, but -- I could prove that I could do this if you’d give me a chance.” 

“You are gone enough of the day between school and other commitments that you wouldn’t be here for them when they need you. Especially this young, they cannot be left unattended.”

“You could help me,” Noctis grumbled. 

Ignis exhaled. “Caring for cats is not in my job description.”

“But you’d do it for  _ me.” _ Noctis huffed. “That’s not enough of a reason. Give me a better one.”

“Okay then,” Ignis said with a sigh, and pushed his glasses up his nose. “Because your father will not allow it.”

Noctis stiffened. “How can you be so sure?”

“For a lot of the reasons I stated before. But also, five cats are too many for this apartment.” 

“Aww, c’mon, Ignis,” Noctis whined. “I couldn’t just  _ leave  _ them there.” 

Ignis leveled a look at the prince, but since Noctis was avoiding his eyes, he couldn’t employ the power of his  _ ice glare, _ as Noctis liked to call it. Instead, he put all the grocery bags he was carrying on the table, and Noctis finally looked at him, his face written with hope. 

“I took the liberty to follow your instructions,” Ignis said, “and bought enough supplies to care for a cat.  _ One. Cat. _ Pick one, and the rest must go to the shelter.”

Noctis pouted then. Pouted, insisted that Ignis text someone to find out if he really  _ couldn’t _ keep the cats -- which Ignis did, and got the expected answer -- and then pouted some more. 

Finally he settled on the little calico -- mostly white, with one black ear and one brown ear and a patchwork of brown and black patches on her haunches -- and cooed at her while Ignis wrangled the rest of the kittens back into the box. “Set up the litter box and the food and water,” Ignis said. “Then you can help me by holding the box on the way to the shelter. We won’t be gone long, and she’ll be fine alone for the duration.”

“Her name is Ms. Buttons,” Noctis said. But he did put her down and do as Ignis asked, and soon they were on their way to the shelter.

They returned less four cats, and Ms. Buttons met them at the door, making demanding noises at them and waving a paw at Noctis until he’d shed his shoes and knelt to pick her up. Then she curled into his chest and purred like a motor.

And Ignis’s heart softened, against all his better judgement. “I just hope I don’t live to regret this,” he said.

“You won’t!” And Noct’s face was all earnestness. “Oh man, Prompto’s gonna freak out… I’ve gotta text him.” He shifted Ms. Buttons to one hand and pulled out his phone with the other as he meandered inside.

Ms. Buttons peered over Noct’s shoulder with big blue kitten eyes, and Ignis smiled as he followed his prince inside.


End file.
